Break through limiting thought and speech patterns established through social conditioning, and replace them with a powerful way of communicating that is deeply satisfying, life honouring and creatively liberating. Come with an open your mind so you can experience the power of vibrant, authentic connection with yourself and others.

Hi I'm Rachelle ..

Poetry, presence, and humanity. Rachelle brings a passion for life-giving language that she shares in the service of inspiring others to choose words that incite not just personal but global change.

I've been helping people understand and resolve conflict for over 14 years .. and during that time I have continued to learn and reach down into the dirt of living, turning the soil over and over as it relates to conflict, relationships, social conditioning, justice, critical thought, compassionate action and ultimately what it means to be human, especially in such times as we now find ourselves living .. a time which consistently tests us with its myriad of distractions, overwhelming pressures and tragic news.

This is all "big picture" stuff and yet it's inextricably relevant to how we converse with each other, be it friends, lovers, children, family, colleagues, neighbours, enemies .. our entire canvas of relating falls prey to the indifferent paintbrush of the dominant culture.

We are awash in culture and so many of its toxins are absorbed into the gill of our hearts having a direct impact on our relationships. Tensions all too often make a sudden unwelcome appearance on the scene, words are spoken that can't be taken back .. or nothing is said out of paralysis from fear. We're often faced with catch 22 and left unchecked, these tensions lead to conflict that eventually erodes the relationship.

Psychologist Abraham Maslow said, "If the only tool you have is a hammer, then everything looks like a nail." So too with speech. Because we learn to speak before we learn to think, we have no ability to assess whether or not, during our early formative years, the communication and relating skills we acquire hold the standard we would now as adults ultimately assign ourselves.

As counter-intuitive as it sounds, we actually need to learn to speakAFTER we learn to speak! Otherwise the perilous habits that have long laid claim to us will continue to snare us and wreak havoc in our lives. One of the greatestgifts we can give to ourselves, others and to this world is our well-honed, well considered, caring, responsible and articulate speech.

This workshop is for you if you can relate to any one of these:

You feel stuck in your relationships

Your kids won't listen to you

Your partner won't listen to you

You don't have the guts to speak up

You say things you regret

You feel resentful

You handle conflict poorly (freeze/fight/flight)

You feel anger/despair about the world

You're convinced something's missing but you're not sure what

You're disillusioned with life and/or relationships

You're disillusioned with healing, personal growth and self-help

You feel disempowered in your relationships or within the "system"

You want to become a better speaker and listener

You want to become a more effective leader

You want to change the world (volunteers always needed)

My promise to you:

I will shake up your existing paradigm around communication (a good thing because so much of what we say generates conflict)

I will challenge you to think waaaaaaay outside the box (key to making breakthroughs)

You will develop skills that you can implement straight away to get solid results

You will have a new lens from which to view yourself, your relationships and the world

Your ability to think critically will be strengthened as will your capacity to respond compassionately

You'll have a much clearer understanding of the mechanics of conflict and learn to lean into it with ingenuity and creativity

"Come, come, whoever you are,wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving,it doesn't matter.Ours is not a caravan of despair.Come, even if you have broken your vow a hundred times.Come, come again, come."

~Rumi

"Poetry, presence, and humanity. Rachelle brings a passion for life-giving language that she shares in the service of inspiring others to choose words that incite not just personal but global change."~Jacqueline Kellam, Teacher and Expressive Arts Therapist, Nanaimo, BC Canada